Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion
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Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion section of the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass. As such, our focus starts there and spreads to include Massachusetts, the nation and the world. Since successful blogs create communities of readers and writers, we hope the \x34& Co.\x34 will also come to include you.

For those still digesting last week’s election results, here are a couple that have been little noted, but may have an impact:

– Barack Obama won the Cuban-American vote in Florida, the first Democrat to do that since JFK, at least. That would clear away the most obvious political barrier to establishing diplomatic relations with Florida.

– California, the birthplace of the taxpayer revolt and the pioneer of dysfunctional government, approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-increase ballot initiative, and is on track to give Democrats super-majorities in both the Senate and Assembly. Among other things, that means Washington may not be required to bail out California and other states who can’t balance their books.

– The first openly bisexual House member was elected in Arizona. They are still counting provisional ballots there, with Democrats leading in several undecided House races. Democratic Senate candidate Richard Carmona is said to be reconsidering his concession to Jeff Flake. More indications Arizona will be a swing state in 2016.

Any under-reported election results still rattling around in your heads?